Search form

2-Photon Microscopy Core Facility

Two-photon microscopy has become an indispensible tool for cellular neuroscience, allowing high-resolution fluorescent imaging of cells within living brain tissue. The McGovern Institute two-photon microscopy core facility was established in 2010, with funding from the NIH. This facility provides the MIT neuroscience community with a sophisticated and unique combination of two-photon imaging and uncaging technology.

The core facility is based around a powerful system from Prairie Technologies Inc. This exceptionally flexible system includes two workstations, one configured for slice physiology and one for in vivo imaging of the intact brain. Its two Ti:sapphire lasers can support two-photon imaging at two different wavelengths, and two additional lasers provide unparalleled spatiotemporal control for uncaging of bioactive molecules, or for optogenetic applications.

Core users also have access to Neurolucida software for morphological analysis of microscopic images.

The facility is housed within the McGovern Institute (MIT Bldg 46-6178) and is available to trained users on a fee-for-service basis.

An executive committee, chaired by Guoping Feng, is responsible for overseeing the facility.